YOUR WELLBEING
20
IT’S ALL
ABOUT BALANCE
Often we reach for
a big bowl of creamy
pasta instead of grilled
meat and salad. They’re
often quicker and easier
to prepare and more
convenient to buy when
time is not on your side.
So why do we crave
the stodgy, sugary stuff
when the going gets
tough and the mercury
plummets? Here are some
insights that might help
when you’re re-establishing
yourself in a new posting
or suddenly adapting to
deployment.
Carbohydrates make
you feel better. Eating
carbohydrate-rich foods like
bread and pasta stimulates
the formulation of serotonin,
also known as the ‘feel good’
hormone in our brains.
Low levels of it are linked
with depression.
It can be difficult to MAINTAIN
HEALTHY EATING HABITS
during the cooler months. Throw in
moving the family from one place to
another, plus the loneliness often
felt during an absence on duty and
suddenly COMFORT FOODS
BECOME MORE
APPEALING for reasons other
than warming up.
A
s the weather
begins to cool
and the winter
woollies re-emerge from
the depths of our bedroom
drawers we often find
ourselves enticed by
hearty, starchier foods
instead of something light
and fresh.
I have been fortunate enough
to spend much of my
Defence life bouncing
primarily between my home
town, Perth, and sunny
Queensland, where we’re
currently posted to RAAF
Base Amberley.
But with my own
business to run, baby
daughter Amelia to care for,
and my husband’s
deployments and trips
away—I’m no stranger to the
stress that can cause many
to abandon their healthy
lifestyle.
LAUREN MCGUCKIN, ACCREDITED DIETITIAN AND
DIABETES EDUCATOR
THE MILITARY LIFESTYLE PRESENTS A UNIQUE
SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES TO FAMILIES, AND
HOW WELL WE COPE WITH THESE IS STRONGLY
RELATED TO OUR WELLBEING AND THE
WELLBEING OF THOSE AROUND US.
YOURWELLBEING